Finally Broken
by high.fiving.jesus
Summary: You win. You want to be rebllious-fine. But you're going to need help because you're not very good at it.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: If it isn't quite obvious to you, the reader of the Percy Jackson series, I am not the fabulous Rick Riordan. My writing is not nearly as superb.**

**Please understand that this story doesn't add glam to everyone's lives in the first chapter. I'd appreciate if you actually kept reading and got into the story. Thank you.**

**Wow, I was so formal, I surprised myself.**

Athena glared down through the window as best as her form would allow. How dare she? She flapped her wings furiously and turned her head to gaze across the camp. Where was Chiron? Where was Dionysus?

Were there not rules against this?

She hooted into the cool camp air and stared at her own cabin. The lights were out, the door had to have been locked, her children were asleep. Well… all of her wise children.

Annabeth sat down on the bunk, the lamp light toning her skin to a caramel color. She smiled at the other side of the room and pushed her hair to the side. She scooted over for him and wrung her Yankees cap through her hands.

Athena narrowed her eyes and caught broken words through the window.

"You and… she's been bothering you?"

Annabeth's face dimmed, her smile gone. He tried to look her in the eyes as she focused on the ground, not succeeding. She laid the Yankees cap by her side on the bed and stared at it for a moment before whispering a reply.

Athena leaned towards the window, straining her small owl ears to hear clearly through the glass.

"…hate her…"

Percy shook his head, apparently surprised. He looked awkward and confused. He raised his arm to put on her shoulder and dropped it again, deciding to just talk to her somehow. He was clearly trying to comfort her without knowing how to.

Athena shook her feathered head, cursing his name. Idiot.

"…mom can be… but she's your—"

"She's a jerk and she knows it." Annabeth's stern voice was heard clearly through the barrier.

Athena's temper flared. This Percy boy was affecting Annabeth's thinking. He couldn't be trusted.

Percy was silent for a moment. "What are you going to do about it?" he asked evenly.

Athena flapped her wings, refusing to watch this scene unfold before her. She soared up into the clouds, straight towards the constellations. Wind bristled her feathers; the stars began stretching through the sky. She shifted form, flexing her muscles as she changed back to her goddess form with warm brown curls and shifting grey eyes.

In a flash of thundering grey, she was traveling on light beams, heading straight for Olympus.

She slowed and touched down in the throne room. An empty semicircle of unique thrones focused on the center of the great hall. A lone fisherman stared up at a squirming creature in a bubble encasement. He stuck his hands in his Bermuda short's pockets and let out a low sigh.

"Any news?" he asked. His voice was strong and gentle.

Athena walked over to him menacingly. "Your son is off cavorting with my daughter," she muttered darkly.

Poseidon scoffed. "Right. My son, Percy, would _never_ cavort. Humph, whatever that is." He teased her extensive vocabulary, mumbling to himself. What odd words she chose.

"You know what it means, you oaf. They're in your cabin. _Alone_." Athena seethed.

Poseidon laughed. "Atta boy. That Percy's a keeper." He turned and winked at her, just to piss her off a little more.

Athena's eyes widened. "You're _encouraging_ this behavior? I should've known."

"Oh, give it a rest. Stop smothering your daughter. Let her live her own life or I swear you'll lose her," Poseidon warned, turning to face her. He narrowed his eyes, daring her to challenge him, and then dispersed in a fog of sea mist.

Athena cursed in Ancient Greek and thought over her options. If Poseidon were correct, she would lose her greatest strategist, architect, and her daughter. But if he were wrong, she would gain that Poseidon brat, lose the respect she deserved, possibly lose her daughter, and end with a disaster.

The latter seemed worse. Athena chose to sit it out and watch how it unfolded, regarding the laws. But when time came, she would have to step up to the plate.

**This is not going to revolve around Athena, so keep those ugly thoughts out of your head. It's about Percy and Annabeth completely.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I really wasn't expecting a reply, but I got one. Thank you so much. **

**Thanks to all the story alerts out there.**

**And to **_**Stranded Star**_**, I tried my best to keep them composed and in character. I was about to write that Percy looked in her eyes and said exactly what she wanted to hear, ya da, ya da, but that would ruin them! I'm giving warning though that their attitudes will stay the same but some actions will seem completely OOC. I hate that, but I thought about post-war reflections and it seemed to me that every person who's seen that type of action always has a little cord snap in them somewhere. I won't make major changes, but you may be disappointed. As much as I'll hate that, it's how I planned the story. If I change it, the whole work will fall apart.**

**Please don't hate me for that. I've tried not to ruin them like others have.**

Annabeth clutched the sheets next to her and looked straight at him, with hate and distaste in her eyes. The feelings weren't towards him, but the mention of her mother had driven a whole through her heart.

"I haven't decided yet," she replied coolly.

"I can't help you unless you let me know what's going on," Percy reminded her. He had sat silently since she had come in his door with a grin on her face, in reference to the new code she had cracked in Daedulus's laptop, revealing a recreation of the wings, which were incomplete with plenty of potential. She had drawled on and on with pure bliss but a nagging thought interrupted her good fortune. Percy had noticed how she steered clear of all mentions of Athena.

Annabeth's eyes softened at his words as she registered the fact that he was pulling himself into her problems, willing to help. He didn't even understand what he was getting himself into. She shook her head, not wanting to allow it.

"It's nothing," she said, trying to keep her voice pure and stern. It wavered and she had to clear her throat, saying it was a 'tickle'.

"How can you hate your mom?" he pressed, not thinking about whatever consequences he could become tangled in with.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "I _know _Sally's awesome, and all, so you don't know anything about how bad a mother could be. It's all messed up. She won't stop bugging me." She crossed her arms defiantly.

"Wow," Percy started, letting his mouth shoot off without his mind, "a mom caring too much. Never heard of _that_ before. At least your godly parent's interested in your life. You should be grateful." He regretted the words as soon as they came out, but he wasn't going to take them back. It was the truth. No sense in lying to a daughter of Athena.

Annabeth scoffed and cursed in Greek. "You're an idiot. I never said she _cared_. I said she was _bothering_ me. Athena's sending all these signals, constantly reminding me of when I mess up or she tries to guilt me whenever I'm near you and—" Annabeth caught herself, blushing.

Percy's face turned a soft rose pink. "So, I'm the problem?" he managed out.

"No, it's just that… she doesn't like you," Annabeth tried reassuring. She thought about the words that left her mouth and realized that they were probably worse than what she had first said.

"Thanks," he retorted, sarcastic and blunt.

"Welcome," she mumbled, thinking of pulling her cap over her head and vanishing so he couldn't see her tomato face.

Percy stared down at the wood-paneled floor and Annabeth could see that he was thinking of what signals Athena could send. She watched him shake his head and then pause to consider a different punishment, then deciding that was un-Athena like. She nearly giggled at how cute he was with his brows scrunched together.

"Owl pellets," she told him.

He stared up at her blankly, as if she were a psycho. "What?"

"Owl pellets," she repeated. "Athena's sacred animal is the owl. Just like Hera with the cows, if I mess up or I hang out with you too long," she blushed again, "Athena sends her owls out. It could be in my spot on the bench for breakfast, in my bed. Anywhere."

"That's it? Owl poop made you hate Athena?"

"No," Annabeth told him, gritting her teeth. "It's more than that. She's obsessing over everything I do. She was watching me during training."

"How do you know?" he asked, slightly peeved with Athena already. Poseidon didn't even do all that and he only had one son. Out of all of her children, she was picking on Annabeth because of him.

"I saw an owl perched on the railing. You don't think that's odd?" she asked, knowing his answer already. And it wasn't just the stalker owls or their droppings, it was her voice. Annabeth had never heard her mother unless they were on Olympus, but her steely voice was always there, warning her to stay away from Kelp Head's kid and to focus on her building designs. Or she would advise her to train harder. _You could've made that strike,_ she'd chastise.

"Okay, Athena's being weird right now. She'll lay off and start picking on Malcolm or something," he shrugged.

Annabeth wanted to believe him, but she knew it wasn't going to be easy to get rid of her mother. Athena was as stubborn as Annabeth, possibly even more so. Annabeth wouldn't have given up without a fight, and so she assumed Athena wouldn't either. It would take so much disrespect to get Athena off her case, but would it be worth it? Her logical side told her that, no it wouldn't. Athena had helped her more than she had hurt her.

But just as she had done with the Sirens, her needs and wants were so much more overpowering. It had to be worth it.

"No. She won't," Annabeth decided. "I'm going to have to take charge, like always."

She rolled her eyes and scooped up her worn down cap. Percy stood with her as she hurriedly slipped on the hat and ran out of the cabin.

"Okay, bye then," he whispered awkwardly, trying to understand her message. Take charge of what?

**A second chapter already. You're pretty lucky.**


	3. Chapter 3

**You, my lovely reviewers and alerting readers, are witnessing a rare experience. Honestly, this is the fastest I've updated a story. So, the updates **_**might**_** slow down because I'll feel bad for other story readers and have to update those. I apologize in advance.**

**Okay, now on to reviews that I deeply appreciate.**

_**Stranded Star**_**, I'm so glad you feel that way. I thought about what you said and decided to try and avoid major dilemmas and such. The sequel, whether I choose to write one or not is undecided, will probably be more OOC than this one. But you may just convince me otherwise. I'll never know until I'm there. And I agree—everyone is guilty of sap. Including me (just read my other stories. I've been working on my style greatly). But when Annabeth breaks down in tears randomly or Percy's a perfect boyfriend, the story has a problem. Thanks for the review!**

_**Softballgirl05**_**, this chapter is for you since you so amiably requested it. It's good to know a reader appreciates your work as much as you appreciate their opinions. So, thanks to you and many cheers in my heart. **

**On with **_**another**_** chapter. This is crazy…**

Percy stretched out on his bed, yawning lazily and smacking his lips just for the fun of it. The amusement it brought to him every morning was borderline immaturity and just plain insanity. He reached his arms out until they hit the wall above his head. He then proceeded to let his body go slack and just laid there, in that position, until the conch echoed over the valley.

His eyes shot open and he scrambled to get up, flopping belly-down onto the hard floor. He groaned and picked himself up. There was no time to glance in a mirror, which he rarely did anyway. He ran his fingers through his hair, shoving it out of his face and off to the side, and hurriedly grabbed a jacket to wear over his t-shirt that he had worn to bed. He managed some time to pull on some jeans and bolted for the door.

Campers were forming 'cabin crowds' near the dining area, waiting for a chance to sit at their table without shoving each other. He jogged up behind them, trying to put on a good show. He was just another camper and he was most definitely _not_ late.

He squirmed through the crowd, becoming impatient by the wait. He shoved and elbowed until he ran into his table.

The camp population had grown since last summer. Demigods were pouring in from cities Percy had never even heard of. He wasn't very good with geography. The tables had been lengthened, or another was added to the end, to accommodate the numbers of each cabin. Percy's was still average size, with no one but the occasional Cyclops brother to share with. Tyson hadn't visited recently, though.

He slumped into his chair and tried to better his appearance without a reflection he could judge with. He smoothed his hair down, trying to not look like your average hobo Joe. Campers looked up to him and, although it didn't bother him personally, he didn't want demigods running around like they just jumped out of trashcans. Monsters and Titans alike would never take them seriously in a battle. Which, come to think of it, might be a good thing.

He stopped fidgeting with his appearance and relaxed on the bench.

The crowd started to disperse to their respective tables, squeezing next to each other, getting extremely close to their roommates in every form of the word 'close'. Physically, personally, mentally. You name it, they pretty much had it down-pat.

Chiron followed his ritual accordingly, calling forth the nymphs and food.

Percy rested his head on his table and chewed on any idea that came to him. What could she possibly take charge of now? Her siblings? The camp? He mulled on idea after precarious idea until the whole of his mind was consumed with Annabeth. He grabbed at the freshly added food that lay before him and pulled it to his mouth. He instantly paused and picked up his plate, and carried it towards the roaring fire pit.

A few stragglers were still standing by the flames, trying to figure out what everyone else was doing with their food. He took pity on them, remembering the mutual feeling, and casually explained the offerings. They squirmed anxiously and threw in bruised foods that looked the least appetizing. The fire roared and reeked of burnt pig fat and dead roses.

"You're going to have to do better than that," he warned, picking up his brightest strawberries. "Poseidon."

The flames hungrily licked up the food and the horrendous odor faded. A warm, fruity flavor filled the atmosphere. Percy grinned at the others, somewhat encouragingly, trying to get them to understand the purpose. The youngest girl caught on first, pulling out a plump loaf of bread.

"Mommy Demeter," she told the fire proudly and threw it into the fire with all of her might. A toasty scent caked over the fruits and complimented it nicely.

"Good job," he told her.

Annabeth tapped his shoulder gently, managing a smile at the girl. She knew that some part of her would regret her decision later in the future, but her current priority was to enrage her mother just enough to get her to leave her alone.

She slowly grabbed a small piece of chicken fat. Percy watched her toss it into the flames. "Athena," she muttered. Percy stared at her, bewildered and amazed at her audacity.

"Seriously?" he mumbled to her, trying to figure out what in Hades she was thinking.

She simply nodded and stalked to her table, dreading the idea of having to sit in a place that actually honored her mother. She now seemed confused as to why she ever liked her mom. What did Athena actually do to deserve respect?

Percy slowly turned and managed to get to his table. His mind was elsewhere. He wanted to help her, but she would move past this stage. Her mother would be her hero once again, there would be mutual respect, everything would end right. It always did. No matter how bad things seemed to get.

He had no idea that this was only the beginning and Annabeth's great unorganized plan would unfold later, right into his lap for his eyes to roam.

**I think I rushed later on, and I might have just messed up on the last line, but if it proves problem-worthy then I'll just rewrite that and fix it accordingly. Thank you for the support.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I think that everyone should be involved. Send in what Annabeth could do that would anger her mother if you've got any ideas. Anything at all, I'll try to use what you choose.**

**Thanks for the reviews, but it seems I have more alerts.**

_**Harryfan94**_**, it's good to know I've caught your attention. Now you have me worried that I'll write a terrible chapter and you'll ditch my story. I'd be heartbroken, honestly.**

_**Deathoughtkid**_**, I just spent a few minutes trying to figure out if your name is "dea thought" or "death ought", so now I'm obsessing over it. Anyways, I totally agree. A majority of the stories are disappointing. Some are even… disturbing how people believe that 'righting lyk dis is gud'. Taking time to check over your work is never a bad thing. **

**I'm excited that you like this story. It's one of my best, but it's my least popular. Disappointment.**

**Well, let's get on with a new chapter.**

At the arena, during sword training, Percy trained on a dummy, bored as ever with no siblings to fight. He had thought of pulling the Hermes cabin in with him for old times' sake, but it didn't feel right. 'Old times' was before Luke had betrayed them all, when they were friends and Luke was pounding on him every chance he got. These times were new, starting over in a new time period.

He slashed his sword across the dummy's chest, stuffing and straw pouring out at his feet. He slammed the hilt of Riptide down on the wrist and the wooden sword clattered to the floor. "Fun," he breathed.

When all hope of a challenge seemed lost, the Ares cabin ran into the arena, joking and pushing each other into walls, slamming heads to get pumped up. Percy lowered his sword to his side and watched Clarisse lead the procession.

"Hey, fish boy," Clarisse greeted, examining her sword. "Ready to get creamed, punk?"

Percy rolled his eyes, not wanting to start _another_ all out battle against Clarisse and her ugly friends. She'd start with a victory chant and end up punching him until he was blue in the face, to unsure that she succeeded. Last time, a few campers ended up hanging in the trees by their shoe laces.

Before he could protest, honey-haired campers with grey eyes strolled into the destined battle grounds, heads high and eyes daunting, analyzing take-down tactics for every opponent. Annabeth took up the rear, examining her knife quietly. Her siblings paused, knowing quite well what was about to happen.

"We take up Percy's side," Malcolm claimed, glancing back at his sister. "Right?"

Annabeth glanced up for only a moment, an eyebrow raised. "When would we not?" She scratched her nail across some rust, flicking it off of the blade. She set her weapon back in its sheath and pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. "Loser has to do winners chores."

Malcolm spun to look at her fully. "What? I mean—are you sure?"

Annabeth waved her hand dismissively and put a hand on her hip. "Agreed?"

Clarisse studied Annabeth. She could tell there was definitely something different, something that was not like Annabeth. She wasn't sure if it was good, but she knew one thing: her cabin wouldn't be having chores for a while.

"Sure," Clarisse smirked, twisting her sword in her hand absentmindedly.

"Wait," Percy said, glancing at the two of them. He didn't want to go against Annabeth and embarrass her, but he wanted to give them a good chance. "Not here. I mean, there's not enough space for all of us. Why not out by the lake?"

"Yeah right, fish face," Clarisse sneered. "Hang out by the water? In your dreams. How about the woods, just like Capture the Flag?"

Percy cursed under his breath but then reconsidered. He bit his lip, feigning frustration and sighed. "Alright. The woods."

Annabeth was about to protest, for whatever reason, but Percy grabbed her hand and pulled her along, the Athena cabin following them out of the arena. He dragged away towards the training grounds.

"Percy, that's not a fair fight," Annabeth told him, following behind him towards the shoreline, then the Athenians at a safe distance, mingling amongst each other.

"It's a _smart_ fight, Annabeth," he stressed. "I'm _not_ doing laundry for Clarisse."

Annabeth crossed her arms and glanced over his shoulder, watching the Ares cabin rushing into the woods with spears, shields, and other nasty weapons. The group was whooping and hollering, energizing each other, yelling "For Ares!" as they went. With delayed gratitude, she realized that maybe she didn't agree with her mother, but she disliked Ares more than Athena. She despised Ares. She was not about to lose this fight.

"Alright," she agreed. "My bad. Let's get over there and whoop some Ares-butt. The bathrooms need a serious scrub down."

When they were all strapped in armor, wielding shields, and drawing weapons, Annabeth slapped on her Yankees camp—though she did so hesitantly—and disappeared. Percy ran into the woods, heading towards his asset, the only one Clarisse hadn't thought of. The stream where he had beaten the five Ares campers, his very first game of Capture the Flag. He ran straight into the river and strength surged through his veins. Power flowed and water rushed through his ears.

After the high-and-mighty rush of power, he sat at the water's edge and waited. He knew he should've been standing, expecting an attack or something, but something told him he'd be there for a while.

And he was right.

Clarisse had been smarted than she let on, remembering that the one she was challenging had plenty of areas to use at his disposal. She, instead of going straight for him, decided to hand the rest of the competition a beating by her own hand.

"Find him," she told her cabin mates. "Stay out of sight. When you do, come back to finish the Athena brats. Avoid Percy."

They had done as instructed, creeping through the woods as silently as possible. They searched numerous places cautiously, freezing at every sound they heard. Though they weren't afraid of whatever the noise might've been, Clarisse had the wrath of their father and was not to be toyed with. They eventually found him playing with a stick in the muddy bank, Riptide up-right in the dirt and his watch exposed.

"Just take him now," an anxious boy snarled. His sister held out her arm to stop him.

"We can't," she told him harshly. "Clarisse gave her orders. We leave him… for now."

She led them away quickly and silently, thought it seemed impossible with how bulky they were, even without armor, and how ungraceful they moved, and found their way back to Clarisse who had three Athena kids in range. One blinked and tugged on her ear and the other two nodded, drawing swords simultaneously.

"This'll be good," Clarisse guaranteed her siblings.

At once, the three charged her from every direction, swords coming down at full force. Clarisse, raised her sword over her head and blocked the attack. One of the Athena boys, knowing the defensive maneuver, pulled a small knife from his back pocket and slashed at Clarisse's arm. She growled and kicked him away. The other two pulled their swords back and lunged. Clarisse parried and dodged steadily, not breaking a sweat.

Her siblings pitched in, pulling hair and knocking swords from their hands. The three Athenians were left on the spot, dazed and out of breath. Clarisse led her group further into the woods. The son of Athena pressed an ear bud in his ear and tapped it, sending a signal in Morse code.

_Get ready._

**Yeah, sorry about the short update that took a long period of time. How many of you have read the new book?**


	5. Chapter 5

_**EagleCodex**_**- I appreciate your review greatly. I've dedicated this chapter to you, giving out-right background information that I guess would be necessary, hmm? Haha, yes they kissed.**

_**Melandu95**_**- I'm glad you enjoy the story so much. And so we move onto the next chapter strongly. Haha.**

**Taken this story back a few notches to a few months after the war.**

It was difficult to say what Annabeth really _wanted_ anymore. What she _needed_, though, oh she could go on for a lifetime discussing what was expected, what she was planning in honor of her mother. She _needed_ a decent college; she _needed_ to finish up Olympus because the gods only knew how much that was taking out of her; she _needed_ some form of support.

But what she _wanted_? When had she ever been asked that—no, when had she asked herself such a selfish question? What did she want? Truly and deeply?

It was hard to say. She wouldn't mind a new architecture book to indulge in the thoughts of other greats and construct her own interpretations for Olympus. A puppy would be nice; maybe some form of music player to block out the sounds of her siblings, but she only knew that the sound emitted from the headphones would be far worse. She was in loathing of the kids going home frequently to see their parents or to see friends they hadn't seen while at the special camp.

Oh, hanging out with Percy was somewhere on her list, of course.

Yes, absolutely. Because she had been waiting for three years—whether she was willing to admit it or not—to just be his.

So opportunity came knocking. She had been doing nothing, a sweet sort of nothing but sitting at her desk, gazing over maps—so many maps—that she had recalled from months prior to the present. Where had she seen these before? The memory, not all too distant, was albeit fuzzy. She had been standing over them with… Percy. Right.

It was the trill of a knock that forced her away from the old papers and she hesitantly opened the door. There he stood, her modestly amazing boyfriend, with a hesitant smile.

"You got any room for me in your schedule?" he inquired, making his way into the cabin and slipping the door shut. A few Athenian girls nestled together on a bunk, _way_ younger than Annabeth, whispering frantically, analyzing him. He gave a minor moment of silence, allowing them to organize their thoughts, and they seemed to recognize him.

"Hi, Percy," one murmured, hunching over an article that they had been skimming.

"Well," Annabeth mumbled. "I don't really know. I need to finish of a statue for Hera—"

"Give her a mustache and call it quits," he finished, grinning slyly. Thunder rumbled and he glared up at the ceiling of the cabin. Annabeth grinned to herself.

"You know I can't," Annabeth argued, moving back to her personal desk, sitting in her chair. "If Lady Hera doesn't approve, construction doesn't start on the statue. It has to 'convey her as she sees fit'." The eye roll she gave made it clear that the person whom gave those instructions weren't on the greatest of terms with the blond.

Percy placed a hand on the back of her chair, leaning over her shoulder to see what she had completed on the 3-D model that was displayed on her laptop screen. The makings of a pedestal and sandal were visible. "Looks perfect. I say you present it and start the building."

Annabeth, not replying to his witty comment, leaned forward, her elbows taking space on the crowded desk, and she furiously opened a smaller box, entering dimensions, angle measurements, and more things Percy didn't completely understand. The knee, down popped up on the screen with a whirring sound and Annabeth adjusted it, making more of the foot's inside visible.

"So," Percy mumbled. "Now I'm being ignored."

She didn't respond.

"Wise girl," he whined.

"Percy, seriously," Annabeth huffed, turning to look up at him. "I have to finish this."

"Why?" he asked. "Do you have a deadline on it?"

"No," she pondered his question. "No, not really."

"So," Percy turned her chair around and pulled her up, against her own protests. He escorted her to her door before she pulled out of his grasp.

"Percy, I want to finish this," she resounded, turning back to her desk.

No, she couldn't decide fully what happened, but later that day when she wedged him into her schedule, they were distant, pushing away from each other, not wanting to get too close. Nothing terrible had occurred; no one had said anything they regretted, but it became obvious that when one pushed, the other complied, not forcing themselves onto the other.

And when both pushed, both were quick to respond, accepting the distance.

In the weeks to follow, they developed a system. Annabeth worked on Olympus; Percy trained. They'd talk to each on the way to and from lunch and then split, doing whatever activities were deemed necessary, and then night came. He would stop by her cabin, kiss her goodnight, and the day would draw to an end as he hurried to his cabin at the sounds of harpies howling and cackling.

And soon, they were just like friends again, and not even when they considered each other the others best friend. They were practically acquaintances. However, when asked of their own availability, they were instantly in a committed relationship to the other; that day they would be all over each other, laughing, teasing, dueling, challenging, but it soon died upon dawn of the next morning.

Annabeth had grown accustomed to the sudden change in their relationship, accepting the fact that he was giving her the space to finish all of her buildings and to hang out with the friends she had become distant to.

And then he confronted her about. Accusing, slightly hurt, confused. Annabeth was appalled, taken completely aback by his sudden want for her. She couldn't say she minded the desire, but she wasn't prepared for it; she wasn't hoping for it. She was dead set on finishing a full scale of the throne room before recommitting to the flame they had, but he didn't appear able to hold off that long.

"Percy, no," she murmured. "Don't change what's finally working."

"Finally?" he asked, brows furrowed. She deemed that word completely inappropriate within a second, but it didn't seem to matter. He further acknowledged the fact that they had been pushing away, but it had never been a real _problem_.

"I didn't mean it like that," Annabeth argued. Percy put up no argument, yet she could see that the words had stuck to him, harsh like the prick of a blade on exposed skin.

"I know," he agreed, glancing down at the ground. His eyes trailed back up to hers. "Do you want to take a break or something? Like, just give each other space?"

"I thought that's what we were doing," Annabeth rounded.

Percy nodded his head and brushed his thumb across his nose for a moment. "But I'm talking about an official break." He didn't seem to register what was coming from his mouth, and when he did, he wasn't affected in the least. He had meant it. "Just to get back to where we were."

"Are you breaking up with me?" she asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"I just think we should be friends for a little," he amended, stressing that he was breaking up with her, but only so the pressure was off and they could go back to putting full trust in the other, feeling close enough to say what they wanted.

"So, you are breaking up with me," she restated, nodding to herself. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as it sounded coming from her own voice. Who knew; maybe they would rekindle the flame and all of the things she had heard from the Aphrodite girls.

"Yeah," he breathed.

It was the best decision they made, because yes, a form of friendship immediately struck up between them. One that they hadn't been familiar with since before the end of the war.

**Um… yup. Background information—tada! *Nervously holds up hands and glances around* Haha, that as best as I can do, for you see, it's really, **_**really**_** late around my area.**


	6. Chapter 6

**This **_**short **_**chapter didn't turn out as good as I hoped. It's just not been my week.**

**And I've been considering changing the name to **_**Gene of Rebellion**_**, but it sounds dumb, and… I don't know.**

**And now I respond to my reviewers, whom I love very much.**

_**Coolwater123**_**- To be honest, I have a crappy imagination. I can't come up with anything original unless I have a muse, someone who says or does something. And they have left on this story so if you have something you want to see happen in this story, let me be the first to know! I'm glad the background information was helpful.**

_**DarkAngel94524**_**- Percabeth always prevails. Unfortunately, I'm undecided on that matter. Glad you liked the chapter, and I hope I keep the story real enough for you.**

_**Liliesandroses**_**- my story loves you very much, too, haha.**

_**EagleCodex**_**- That chapter was my pleasure. It was actually the easiest to write; odd, huh? The meat will begin… just as soon as I rediscover the hiding place of my muse. I know I put it somewhere…**

_**Nelly123**_**- I'm especially glad to hear from you, seeing as you're so amazing on the forum. The begging, though unnecessary, is greatly appreciated and will go down in the books as the greatest thing a reviewer and friend has done for one of my stories. Never begged? Hmm, I feel special… Hey, have any suggestions? I might be able to squeeze them in somewhere.**

Percy slumped down on the ground, trying to even his breathing, Ares campers sprawled around him in a mesh of ugly and hatred. One had even spat at him in their anger, but he thought nothing of it. If they wished to waste their breath, it was their choice.

Over on the Athenian end of the battle, nothing had gone right. They were supposed to have a flawless strategy, one to take out at _least_ half of the group of brutes, but someone had sabotaged the plan. When the trip wires should have gone off, feet trampling over them, it was soon discovered that one of the ends had never been attached properly and failed in the field. Annabeth had also left her post with her Yankees cap in her hand, her siblings struggling against the wrath of the half-bloods.

He breathed heavily through his nose and capped Riptide. Percy ran a hand on his lower back; a camper had come so desperately close to hitting him in his soft spot. It had set a taste of reality in his mouth that he wasn't perfect and he couldn't do everything so recklessly and unorthodox.

The quiet was disrupted by a rustling behind him that gave a clear warning: he should stand and turn to face whatever it was before he was lost to Hades.

When he did, all he found was Annabeth in perfect condition, as if she hadn't even gone into battle at all. He knew what had happened and confronted her about her reckless actions. "What was that, Annabeth?" His voice was harsher than he meant it to be. His tone, though it shouldn't have, sent her into the deep end.

"What was what?" She snapped back, giving him a once over. As far as she was concerned, everything had gone according to her plan. The Athena cabin had been disgraced pleasantly enough, and Poseidon had been in the proper position to save the day. It was a low blow to her mother's pride and it felt so good to be rebellious.

"I almost died," he informed her, seething. Her expression seemed to change from the pleased smugness to an utter loss for words; she hadn't considered what might have happened to him in battle. It hardly crossed her mind that he could even get injured.

She was quiet before explaining that everything had turned out fine and they wouldn't have to be the ones performing other's tasks. If there was an inkling of doubt in Percy's mind at her sanity, it only swelled tremendously.

"Annabeth, this rebellion stuff needs to be toned down to things that aren't life-or-death," he told her stiffly.

"I've hardly done anything, don't you think?" she asked. The part of her mind that had never appeared wrong, her mother's half, was telling her that she was setting herself up to get snapped at. She was wrong; she knew it. She should've been better, reacted better to her mother's ridiculous efforts, but a part of her was claiming that she was overreacting to how she was behaving.

"You've hardly done anything _right_," he retorted. He stuck Riptide deep in his pockets and brushed past her indignantly.

"Well, hold on," she said, turning to follow him out of the woods. She found no more that she could say other than an apology that she didn't believe she owed him. Not yet, anyhow, but she discovered that mustering the courage to say it was enough to force him to calm down.

He stopped where the trees ended and turned back to her, his face more relaxed than enraged. "Alright, Annabeth. You win. You want to be rebellious—fine. But you're going to need help because you're not very good at it."

"What are you suggesting?" Her face, as much as he found it humorous, was offended in all seriousness.

"You don't have my knack for upsetting the gods," he grinned and turned his back again, heading off to the direction of the cabins. She, for a scary moment, imagined he had just stuck his middle finger to the sky. But she knew he would never, ever do anything so crude and pleading for death.

As the sun dipped into the highest pocket of sky for a place to rest, the horn for lunch rang out. Percy stood in the commons area, a basketball in hand, and cursed, knowing he would be late again for the one meal he loved most. After minor stumbling, shoving, and the pulling of a shirt over his head, he hurried to follow the rest of the cabins out to the mess hall.

They had marched down to their stone picnic tables when Chiron made the ever-traditional greeting, informing the campers on cabin challenges in the arena the next day involving spears and swords, and raised his goblet to the sky in praise.

The food was brought out and placed before the campers in bountiful helpings of fresh fruit, barbeque and warm bread rolls that were lightly buttered and crisped. Percy filled his plate with whatever would fit, however much he found he wanted. He reached for his personal goblet and filled a request for the customary blue Cherry Coke, foaming violet liquid coating the brim.

He had left his table and stood in line for the roaring fire out before them, the rich smells it produced wafting through the midday air and coating it with melancholy peace. Someone ahead of him detached themselves from their spot in line and moved to be at his direct front. He glanced at her with a small smile, running his thumb along the ridges of his plate.

His face, one of consideration, moved towards hers as to prevent others from hearing him. "Sit at my table."

"What?" her eyes were near to dislocating from the sockets.

"Yeah," he told her with a nod. "You want to upset Athena; this is the safest way to do it."

"Safe for who?" She didn't argue farther after minor convincing from him as they made their offerings. She nodded to the nearby Malcolm and told him to go sit without her, that she would be fine.

And as soon as her hindquarters touched the bench, thunder clapped in the sky with a terrifying tremor. She absentmindedly stuck out her tongue as she tore her bread.

**Yeah. It's a short, not too important chapter. **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: To all my dear, sweet, lovingly faithful reviewers,**

**This story, effective immediately, unless decided otherwise, will be placed on HIATUS. I realize that this is against the rules, but I felt I owed you all an explanation and I hope you don't report, for this chapter will be deleted upon the continuation.**

**You may ask why I am suddenly holding off. If you would like to know, I'm writing what will probably escalade into a trilogy, but for now is a story that is like venting and revenge. **

**I know—wow, high fiving Jesus, that's really immature. When you read this story, it may help you understand, it may not.**

**My muse: my lying, but sweet, boyfriend. Humph, lying and sweet don't belong in the same sentence… Let's try this. My boyfriend's really sweet to me. However, he's a compulsive liar about what I consider to be important. Did I mention he broke a promise?**

**I bet you don't care, I wouldn't. But it's a heads up for a story that is consuming all of my thoughts. I would feel terrible writing a chapter that doesn't blend well with what's happened so far, and so I'm going to get this out of my system.**

**Thank you for your consideration and cooperation.**

**Seriously, **_**please**_** don't report because this message is only temporary.**

**My story: **_**Exposure**_**.**

**Rating: T**

**Characters: Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase**

**World: Books, AU (Alternate Universe)**

**Thanks again!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, everyone, look who's returned! **

_**It's Glinda!**_

**No, creepy little dude from ****Wicked****, I'm not. But I did just come back from the show and wanted to spread the news that it's a show worth seeing. Anyways, it's that time where I review to my lovely reviewers for both Chapter Six and Chapter seven (which can't be taken down with you all getting an alert that I updated).**

_**ELMO-fAN cLUB MeMbER—**_**Thanks you so much! Haha, I'm loving that enthusiasm, so please keep it coming.**

_**Nelly123—**_**Here's the more you requested. Have you noticed that the forum's gone silent?**

_**Fuyutaro son—**_**Thanks so much for encouraging me; it's really going to help me out with going on with this story.**

_**Shoshona79—**_**Poseidon doesn't really care for the situation at the moment, and maybe I'll bring him in, but I wouldn't worry too much about any interference from him. Much appreciation for the review!**

_**EagleCodex—**_**I love that this story has you whoo-ing for updates, and I hope this brings the same reaction. I'm continuing and I'm going to dedicate this chapter to you (unless it turns out really, really terrible) just for your continuous support.**

Clarisse was grunting past her spear that had locked onto the gleaming bronze, her face contorted with a vicious, malevolent rage that had been watered down with her calm determination. Her opponent blew his bangs from his eyes and studied her face warily, acutely aware of the observing crowd of cabins all strapped in the stands with their armor, bristling with excitement, prepping for a round of battles. He could feel his adrenaline burn through his veins, and with a crooked grin, he pulled back and whirled to make an attempt to slash at head-height. Clarisse ducked under the blow and lunged at him, to which he urged his feet back.

"C'mon, kelp head," she snarled, backing away to chance her breathing and she stocked in the same circular pattern that they had traced prior to her attacking. She adjusted her grip on the leather wrapping bounded along the shaft of her spear. She could feel her whole figure breaking into a sweat, and it _pissed her off_ that Percy had been in over five rounds with her cabin mates already, and he showed no sign of slowing down at all, only a crazy lopsided smile. "Give—_up_!" she let out in a grunt as she surged towards him again. He scooted away and smacked her spear off to her side, where she made a move to land a punch.

Her knuckles brushed his face and he hardly acknowledged the action, grabbing her wrist and twisting her around. He wasn't stronger, or meaner, or even more battle-hardy, but he had the advantage of not tiring easily and his anger had dissipated on account of how he had spent his previous night. His rage wasn't clouding his judgment.

His mind, however, flickered off of the subject at hand to the girl sitting amongst the horde of honey-haired, grey-eyed children all analyzing other cabins critically. Despite their eyes roaming all but the duo on the field, hers were planted on every defining move he made. Stormed and plagued by the grey irises of the previous night, he could feel his senses dulling. Annabeth made some wild motion to which he finally responded, almost getting thrown back by Clarisse.

The daughter of Ares ran at him with constant fits of rage to which he was almost dulled enough to let his guard drop, despite his will to fight. He kept her subdued long enough for an opening to appear when she twirled for a fancier lunge. He snuck inside of her reach, knocked his forearm across her wrist and sent her spear sprawling off to the side. His sword touched across her neck and he grinned.

As soon as Chiron called a draw, his limbs went numb and Riptide slipped from his grasp. He wearily let a yawn escape from his lips to which laughter rounded throughout the arena. He hardly noticed with his mouth stretched wide open and his knees buckled for a second.

"He's going down!" someone called, as was customary when his need for a power nap washed over him. He didn't mind so much until he had to drop in public, where Annabeth would take care of what happened to his drowsy body during his comatose state. He didn't often drop under the eyes of the overseers but there were just cases where he couldn't hold out.

He rubbed his eyes lazily like a smile child, sure that this was the image he was portraying under watchful glances and ignorant snickers. People didn't understand how draining it was to be encased in the body cursed by Achilles and the Styx.

"I got him," someone muttered from behind, and just as his knees gave out from under him, two delicately strong arms where supporting him under his arms and dragging him off to the sidelines. His mind had been lulled into a half-alive state of being able to hear what was being said without it processing or his response being audible. He could understand Chiron call a brief break for the Poseidon cabin and that he had defeated the Ares kids, as always. There was some grumbling as his mind drifted away from him completely.

He woke after what felt like only a few minutes with fingers brushing through his hairs and gracing his temple with the softest of touches, his head resting along with a sprawled arm on the lap of who he was sure was the only one who he would be comfortable with being situated as such. Annabeth's fingers knotted in his hair and he could feel her elbow resting on his head, the action completely by routine positioning.

Something felt good inside of the pit of his stomach. This was the first time since they had split that she had willingly allowed him to fall asleep with his head on her lap. His last attempt was feeding into the earliest hours of the morning, her splayed across the width, her laptop on her stomach as she worked in his cabin. And she had been taking up his bed; he was so tired. He had told her that she had to move or he would sit on her, to which she only grunted in response. Her eyes were flickering across the screen, reading some more information on a file he could never hope to understand and he was growing desperate, considering cabin inspections were tomorrow and he had planned on waking early to get a head start. He shrugged and told her it was fine, all before dropping his head on her thigh and positioning himself into some form of comfort.

She peered around her laptop and told him to get off of her. He snuggled his face deeper into her denim with a smirk, despite her inability to see it based on his positioning. She jiggled her leg and told him to move. And that had all grown into a wrestling match to where she rolled the two of them off of the edge of his bed and onto the wood floor, straddling him in her jeans with a gleaming victory dancing in her irises. _I win._

"Wise Girl," he murmured. Her fingers froze mid-twirl.

With new eyes glazed in exhaustion he determined that she had moved him back to his cabin. And with those same eyes he figured that it had been far after cabin challenges had drawn to a close, a vast dark sugarcoated with glistening diamonds, the princes and princesses of the night life. He bit the groan from the back of his throat knowing that he would never fall asleep that night.

"That's the longest I've seen you out," Annabeth mumbled, her fingers continuing to knot in his hair and then untangle fluidly.

He couldn't process any acceptable thing to say at the time and just let his eyes droop close in content, knowing that he only had moments before she urged him to wake up. His mind flitted over memories of his head on her lap, her using him as a table as she worked or read out under Thalia's tree, drifting like that was how they would be, forever frozen under a pine and at peace. He was ignorant than of the fact that they couldn't simply sit there, despite having ADHD and a serious need to keep moving with their training as demigods. They were teenagers. Things happened.

He just didn't imagine it would turn out with their friendship growing stronger than it had before. Hoped, sure. But it was only in his caged dreams that he had tried desperately to hide. He loved having Annabeth as his best friend. And gods, it worked for the first few months. Than through the year, he felt himself getting restless from separation. But Annabeth was happy. So he kept his jaw clamped tight and his tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain," she whispered, nudging his shoulder. He groaned, but despite his protests, he rose to a seated position next to her on the floor beside his bunk, her back already resting along the mattress. "You feeling better?"

He nodded mutely and gazed around the room indolently to meet her face and smack his lips. She nudged her shoulder into his and laughed lightly.

"Good," she stared at her hands quietly, then pressed her palms up on the topside of the mattress and heaved her body upward, expecting him to follow. He hesitated and rose to her level, drawing his leg closest to her up on the bed to enable him to face her. He gripped his shin to keep from kicking her.

"So what happened while I was out?"

He tried to listen. He did, as her curls slipped from one side of her shoulder to the other, her hands moving as she spoke. Words tumbled from her lips animatedly and she laughed at the mention of something, to which he grinned, then jolted one shoulder to demonstrate an attack someone had used apparently after both persons weapons went flying in a desperate swing. She nodded enthusiastically, same as she did whenever she brought up architecture, which meant someone on her bad list had paid their due.

Her lips, he noticed quirked at the corners when she laughed. A cute, but tight expression, like she was holding back something obnoxious and he snorted and shook his head. She stopped her rant. Her hands, suspended, slowly lowered inches below their resting point.

"What?"

His smile, sarcastic and cute, still graced his face as he was looking off to the opposite end of the room. With a short glance at her, he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and kissed her, slow and soft. With only a brief pause in between, he had met her eyes and she was suddenly holding his cheeks, a kiss long and hungrier.

She had felt that same lust. She knew the same longing—and maybe she couldn't say it was love that had her wrapped around his finger, but it had to be pretty close for the pit of her gut to clench wistfully and her heart to race wildly like a small bird captured in a rusty cage. In one despicable moment where she actually took time to _think_—she was too much her mother's child—she felt wrong. A good wrong, a bad wrong, the guilty sense, and the long and maybe disturbing sense. And that fed into her hunger to push him back—she could kill two birds with one stone.

Gods, her mother would hate her guts. And oh, she would feel so satisfied of her deprivation.

From previous experiences she led her left hand down his chest and slipped under him to place on his lower back. That was where she found it. All sense of life and love and warmth and _Percy_. That was where he existed. Under the skin, she could literally _feel _his love for her, and the glow to his smile, and the joy to his laughter. The beat of his heart. All centered on that one point was where she found her peace.

She could feel him grinning and she couldn't chase her own smile away

Somewhere inside… _she was dying_.

**Well, **_**that**_** certainly wasn't where this was going. But, never fear, for purity prevails. As in they don't… you know… lose the V-card. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Um, two months. Wow, I'm so sorry. But writer's block and finals and boy drama and all of this other crap has come knocking in my direction. And, for the most part, it's over. Well, except writer's block. **

**I'd like some help on that, so please feel free to give some ideas.**

**Now, I give replies to all of the reviewers that have hung on this long.**

_**Eleos-**_** Don't worry. They don't lose the V-card, I promise. You're right, they are only 16 or 17 and they aren't even technically dating so where the heck would that come from? Thanks for the review! :)**

_**Nelly123-**_** I hope I don't disappoint with this chapter. My writing style's been lacking of late and I'm trying to pull it back up to where it had been.**

**And there you have it: my two reviewers. Loving the loyalty guys! **

The next morning was awkward, beyond the I-just-woke-up-next-to-my-best-friend-in-my-bed way that was fully anticipated, but more in the I-woke-up-next-to-my-best-friend-with-a-serious-need-to-kiss-him/her-even-though-I-know-I-shouldn't. And it wasn't that they couldn't—really, they could do just about anything since what had occurred last night—it was more that they were relentless on making this friendship work. Friendship, not intimate relationship.

That was the one line that Annabeth had drawn: through this misadventure she would stay strong and not fall head-over-heels for Percy ever again. Sure, he was probably the best boyfriend she could've asked for—loyalty, looks, and love. The three necessary L's in a relationship, and he had them. But he was too perfect. She was jealous and wanted him to only love her, yet she pushed him away when things got to good or when she wasn't in the mood to be around him. A contradicting personality, but that was just the way she worked. She had no idea how to push around it.

So, with sunlight filtering through the Poseidon cabin windows, the same salty air lingering, she lay with her head curled on his shoulder, her forehead pushed back by her raised eyebrows as she watched him sleep. Light drool, as was ever present. He shifted onto his side and curled his arm under his head, ripping her pillow from her. She instantly sat upright and peered around the room. Her breathing was tight and awkward, her heart beating unevenly, feeling his stomach move with his breath. She reached blindly to smack his chest.

"Percy." Her voice was quiet with the fear that if she woke him up they would never find self-control.

She had a problem, and his name was Percy.

But love wasn't exactly what she felt blooming in her chest and the pit of her gut—which the Romans had once believed was where emotions blossomed from. That had always been there, inside of her, growing and living and being. No, what was now developing that had never really been present was lust. She wanted him. She wanted him to stand beside her, to hold her and kiss her whenever he wanted to, to play with her hair or drop his hand on her thigh at cabin meetings. She wanted him to be the constant; to toy with her emotions on occasion as some elaborate plot to keep her interested.

"Hey."

She blinked back her thoughts and became aware of the fact that she had been staring at him with the barest trace of a smile. "Hey."

And it was just as she thought; one moment she was watching him carefully and the next she was making a terrible and desperate attempt to keep from kissing him. Her eyes darted to the broken fountain that was lying in a dead heap on the floor.

This used to happen to them on more than the usual occurrence between young teens at the same camp. She would just pop in to speak, mess around with his hair and his mind, and somehow she would end up in a dead sleep on his mattress, he lying beside her with the same impression that he was sleep deprived. It was almost an every night event before the break up and suddenly she had found herself right back where she started.

She slipped from under the sheets and combed the loose hair back from her eyes, forming quick, short strides to the door. With the doorknob under her firm grip, she gave herself a moment's hesitation to glance back at him, still ultimately settled into where he had drifted from consciousness. He stared at her, maybe two seconds, before turning over and pulling his blankets up a little more and pulling his arm under his head. With furrowed brows, and half a mind to go smack him out of disbelief—she was offended that he didn't bother to at least watch her leave—she exited the cabin, smoothed her camp shirt and hoped that the salty shade wasn't a dead giveaway.

She had spent her night with her ex-boyfriend. Dang, her mother was already sucking any wisdom she had from her mind.

A gleeful grin split her face. Maybe his stupid plan was working out for her.

**Ahhhh, filler chapter. But again, I told you I'm at a loss for words and happenings. Help?**


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